“He plays off the shoulder, comes short, and gets it in to his feet, a little bit like Jermain Defoe. He can be a good finisher when he’s on it.”
The post Tinashe Chakwana: The next ‘Jermain Defoe’? appeared first on The Standard.
The winter-nights are drawing in but the cold weather hasn’t cooled Man City’s title charge.
Pep Guardiola’s men are outscoring all who stand in their way this season but their defence has arguably been just as formidable.
Crucial to remedying what was once City’s achilles heel has been Aymeric Laporte.
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AFP or licensors The man of the moment[/caption]
Fans and pundits alike have been waxing lyrical at the deadly attacking play produced by Man City.
However have we actually been overlooking the most impressive component of the Premier League champions this season?
Guardiola’s side have conceded just six goals in all competitions and have seemingly rectified what was once labelled as their weak point.
Laporte’s emergence as a star-performer since his January move from Atletico Bilbao has added to the wealth of world-class centre-back options at Guardiola’s disposal.
The Frenchman has become one of City’s most important players.
Teacher’s pet
Reuters A*s across the board[/caption]
Guardiola won’t like to admit that he has dressing-room favourites, but he definitely does and Laporte is clearly one of them.
The towering defender has been a mainstay in City’s back-line for much of the campaign, missing just one of their 14 games this season.
John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and even stalwart club captain Vincent Kompany have been the ones fearing for their starting-berths, while Laporte is effectively a guaranteed starter.
Be it at the heart of the defence or deployed as a makeshift left-back, the 24-year-old has shone whenever he’s been tested.
A threat in both boxes
AFP or licensors More lethal than Harry Kane[/caption]
Not only have Laporte’s defensive displays been impressive but his towering stature has helped to add an extra dimension to City’s goal-threat from set-pieces.
At 6ft4, the Frenchman is far from your typical Guardiola player, but City are reaping the benefits of having a target-man in the area from corners and wide free-kicks.
Laporte has scored two goals from headers this season and given opposition defenders another thing to worry about when they are given a brief respite from chasing the shadows of David Silva and Sergio Aguero.
Fixture friendliness
AFP or licensors They’ve already faced their toughest tests[/caption]
As City have already come out of clashes with Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs unscathed this season, they are a more favourable run of fixtures in the coming weeks.
A string of three home games in-a-row for Guardiola’s men kicks-off with a Carabao Cup clash against Fulham on Thursday, before they face Southampton and Shakhtar Donetsk in front of their own fans.
Laporte will no doubt continue to avert the clutches of his manager’s overzealous rotation policy.
With a price-tag of £4.2m, Laporte is actually one of the best value-for-money defenders in Dream Team.
The Frenchman is currently the highest point-scoring defender in the game with an impressive 81 fantasy football points to his name already.
The Man City ever-present has only been selected by 8.5% of managers despite costing less than Man United’s Chris Smalling (£4.3m) and Harry Maguire (£4.4m). He’s even got more points than the pair combined.
READ MORE OF THE BEST FANTASY FOOTBALL TIPS:
The Dream Team Coach praises Chelsea’s OTHER star and reviews the weekend’s best performers Mo Salah is the most in-form player on Dream Team but everyone has transferred him out The best Dream Team bargains and surprises so far this season SIGN UP – WIN £5k BY PLAYING DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER THIS WEEKEND WATCH: The second part of our exclusive documentaryElenco homenageia Daniel na reapresentação. Leia em: https://t.co/alrIUJfcGL pic.twitter.com/iZ6NjxGgDs — São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) October 29, 2018 Brazilian football was in shock on Monday after authorities announced the death of 24-year-old midfielder Daniel Correa, who was found almost decapitated with his genitals cut off. His parent club, Sao Paulo FC, whom he joined in 2015, […]
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We do feel a little sorry for Kasper Schmeichel right now.
The Leicester goalkeeper is one of the best in the Premier League after all, but West Ham have made him look just a little foolish with their opening goal against him this evening.
With just over half an hour played in Saturday’s late kick-off, the Hammers were perhaps the better of the two sides – with Robert Snodgrass having their two best chances.
But the breakthrough eventually came.
SIGN UP – WIN £5k BY PLAYING DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER THIS WEEKENDWith Ben Chilwell bundling Grady Diangana to the floor, the referee awarded the Hammers a free-kick just outside of the box just ahead of the 30th minute.
By floating the set-piece into the Leicester penalty area, Anderson managed to pick out Declan Rice in the box, who headed across goal towards an unmarked Fabian Balbuena.
Then in rather comical fashion, the Paraguayan – who was literally just six yards out and completely free to head home – struck the left-hand post with his header, which seemed to confuse Schmeichel in goal.
Leaving the Dane spinning on his spot as the ball bounced across the face of goal, Balbuena was able to prod home the rebound.
Funny? Yes.
Horrific defending? Hell, yes.
Bounce
Spin
Spin
Goal
Harry Maguire was perhaps the man most at fault for the Foxes, as the England defender was slow to react to the rebound, allowing Balbuena to nudge the ball over the line at the second attempt.
Get that slab head back in the game, Harry.
READ MORE:
Why Fernandinho is, for me, the most underrated footballer in Premier League history A bunch of Premier League rejects are now the Champions League’s great entertainers Replacing Alexis Sanchez with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was Arsene Wenger’s greatest parting gift WATCH: The second part of our exclusive documentaryWe need to talk about Michael Keane.
After all, the Everton defender was a pretty big deal a couple of years ago.
Plying his trade as part of Burnley’s solid back-line, the former Man United academy graduate was a Dream Team favourite during the 2016/17 season, but lost his way last season following his big-money move to Goodison Park.
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AFP or licensors The last couple of seasons have been a roller-coaster ride for the centre-back[/caption]
If you remember, the Toffees paid out an eye-watering £30 million to bring him to Merseyside in the summer of 2017.
Good business, some said, with Keane considered a future star for both club and country.
But along with many of his Everton teammates, Keane endured a torrid 2017/18 campaign under Ronald Koeman and later Sam Allardyce.
What’s worse is that his excellent form for Burnley and his hefty price-tag meant he was tipped for big things at the beginning of last season from a Dream Team perspective, but he finished the term with an abysmal haul of just 75 points.
Rex Features Keane was a Dream Team must-have during his time with Burnley[/caption]
Reuters Plenty of Everton’s new signings under-performed last season[/caption]
But this season, things are already looking brighter for him and Everton.
Ever-present under new boss Marco Silva – albeit the three games he missed in August and September following his nasty head injury against Bournemouth – Keane has formed a useful partnership at the back alongside Kurt Zouma.
In fact, we reckon summer signing Yerry Mina will struggle to get into this team at the moment ahead of the duo.
Getty Images - Getty Keane has been solid at the back for the Toffees this term[/caption]
What’s more, Keane has steadily been one of the best bargain defenders on Dream Team this season.
Priced at just £3.7m, his current haul of 44 points makes him the second-best Everton player on the game this season – behind only Gylfi Sigurdsson (57 points) and ahead of the likes of Richarlison (36 points) and Lucas Digne (26 points) – and up there among the likes of Antonio Rudiger (44 points) and Willy Boly (42 points).
That’s some turnaround, don’t you think?
Getty - Contributor We think Keane-o deserves some praise[/caption]
Keane will be heading to a very familiar ground this weekend, as Everton travel to Old Trafford to take on Man United.
The 25-year-old made just five appearances for his boyhood club prior to his move to Burnley in January 2015, and will be keen to see off his former employers as Everton look to break into the top six.
WATCH: The second part of our exclusive documentaryAsk 100 football fans what ‘underrated’ means to them and you’ll get 100 different answers.
So, if you don’t mind, allow me to quickly explain what I believe that term means. I’ll make it visual for you.
Picture a graph with an X-axis and a Y-axis. The Y-axis is what fellow professional footballers think of the player, the X-axis is regular fans’ opinions of the player.
Underrated players can be located at the top of the Y-axis and the start of the X-axis. Top of the lot is the most underrated footballer in Premier League history, Man City’s Fernandinho.
Mr Tactics
Fernandinho rocked up in Manchester five years ago. City, despite not having a manager at the time, shelled out £30million on a 28-year-old who’d spent the previous eight seasons in Ukraine. City fans could be forgiven for their scepticism.
Of the five arrivals that summer, only Martin Demichelis was older. Five years on, only Fernandinho remains.
The Brazilian has withstood the test of time. A test of time which, due to City’s endless supply of cash, is more punishing than most.
But longevity itself isn’t enough to make someone underrated, otherwise this piece would be dedicated to Arsenal’s stubborn stalwart Carl Jenkinson. To understand the genius of Fernandinho we need to peel back his layers.
Playing as the pivot in a Pep Guardiola side is a role few midfielders are cut out for. It’s relentless. When one of Pep’s attacking midfielders is off their game, there’s always another to pick up the slack. That’s not the case for Pep’s sole deep-lying anchor.
In possession, Fernandinho needs to be the angle upon which City’s goalkeeper, full-backs and centre-halves can bounce the ball out from the back.
His passes are subtly cutting, always finding one of City’s attacking players in those pockets of space. If he’s not positive in possession then City are vulnerable to the press.
The 33-year-old will also give you the odd long-range stunner when he’s bored of letting Kevin De Bruyne and co take all the plaudits.
Out of possession, it’s too obvious to point out Fernandinho’s tenacity in the tackle and capacity to break up play. His defensive nous goes deeper than that.
Pep is rightfully lauded for his dedication to flowing football, but his side’s ability to nip counter-attacks in the bud, whether legally or illegally, is crucial to recovering when those moves break down.
Fernandinho is the absolute master of this dark art, hence why he’s picked up 14 yellow cards since the beginning of last season.
The Brazilian has grown into an on-field leader, especially in commanding City’s full-backs when they tuck in centrally, as per Guardiola’s instructions.
Reach for the starsReuters
Let’s leave the last word to Fernandinho himself.
He told Brazilian publication UOL: “The biggest legacy I’ll leave maybe is the fact that I have reopened the door for Brazilians in the club.
“When I got here, Brazilians were still seen with a bad eye, and today we have four Brazilians of a very high level in the squad, which makes me very happy.”
Consider that £30mil well and truly paid back.
Smile for the camera
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Just two competitive appearances for England-born Zimbabwe Warriors defender Tendayi Darikwa and he is already a cult-hero among local football fans.
The post Darikwa desires to speak Shona appeared first on The Standard.
Okay, the jig is up.
We are willing to admit that here, at Dream Team, we are part of a widespread media conspiracy against your club.
I was personally initiated on my 18th birthday in a ceremony chaired by Gary Lineker.
Or ‘The Gatekeeper’ to give him his official titleGetty - Contributor
Since then, I have joined my global colleagues in being actively biased against the club you support, criticising them unfairly (this is crucial) in an attempt to hinder their chances of winning the title/avoiding relegation/securing promotion/other (delete as appropriate).
Why? Because everyone in the media supports your team’s fierce rivals of course!
It’s mad really, when you think about it, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world secretly supporting the same team because of the industry they’re in, but it’s true.
Whenever your club lose, we pop bottles of champagne.
When they win, we have a quick meeting to decide on the best excuse that will subtly (but effectively) diminish the achievement.
Jose is woke to our undying agendaGetty Images - Getty
Lineker swore me to secrecy, but some of you guys are just too smart to deceive.
What some (professional psychologists) would call paranoia, I recognise as shrewd investigative observation and endevaour.
You are able through our ruse of ‘justified criticism’ for what it really is — hateful obsession.
We should have known we weren’t able to keep it under wraps for long.
After all, there has to be some motivation for taking a dig at your perfect, holy, godly team, doesn’t there?
The fact they haven’t won a game in months/are funded by criminals/are exploiting their own fans/other (delete as applicable) is broadly irrelevant.
It’s all about the bigger picture, the deeper meaning.
Some naive fools believe it is possible to have the opinion both of these people are very good at football. HAHAHAHA!AP:Associated Press
You may wonder why only fans of your club are able to wade through our river of lies.
Why can’t other fans see how how much we hate your club — it’s so obvious!
Even more bizarrely, they seem to think we hate their club, the deluded idiots.
If, by chance, we had decided to launch our venomous hate campaign against another club, you would undoubtedly be perceptive enough to notice it in action and speak up.
Sadly, this is not the case, we’re firmly set on bringing your club to its knees, and no other fans are going to join your rebellion.
That’s right, even Stelling’s in on itGetty Images - Getty
What to do next?
Firstly, you should absolutely keep commenting on articles based solely on social media headlines — under no circumstances should you click through to read ‘justifications’. Pfffft.
Secondly, follow as many Twitter accounts as possible.
The likes of RagingFirmino, DeftLindelof, and EnergeticDrinkwater, are the truth-bearers in this crazy world.
Thirdly, never stop accusing the media scum of obsession with your club — it’ll break us eventually.
There you have it, the truth is out there.
Oh, I nearly forgot, the referees are in on it as well.
NEXT: 9 Premier League players it’s absolutely impossible to hate
Barcelona typically never sell their best players (excluding Neymar).
If they are willing to let someone leave it will either be because they are surplus to requirements or they don’t make the Nou Camp grade.
For most clubs ‘not making the Nou Camp grade’ means they will probably instantly become their biggest asset.
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“You wouldn’t believe it Roy, Barca just let me sign three of their players in the summer.”Getty - Contributor
In the past few years Everton have had a strange bond with the Spanish side in the transfer market, willing to take on any deadwood that might be on the market.
It all came to a head this summer when the football world was stifling laughter at the Toffees signing three of the perceived worst players at the Nou Camp and for a hefty investment too.
Spanish newspaper MARCA even called Everton a ‘luxury client’ in that they paid upwards of €50m for Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes.
The outlet went as far to say Barca should find a way of honouring the English club for taking the flops of their hands.
Has anyone told them Everton aren’t in the Champions League?
All very sarcastic indeed.
Digne has slotted in at left-back this season, making seven Premier League appearances, keeping two clean sheets and getting an assist against Huddersfield.
You can’t ask for that much more for a €20m Barcelona reject.
Mina and Gomes came in a double deal that left the Catalans blushing.
Barca’s loss Everton’s gainGetty - Contributor
Gomes was brought to the Nou Camp on the back of his impressive form at the Euros 2016 but he was cast as a complete failure almost from the off.
Not being able to displace any of the greatest midfield of a generation is understandable but MARCA readers voted him the worst signing of the season.
He was even booed by his own fans during a game against Atletico Madrid.
So when Everton said they would take him on loan and pay his wages in full Barcelona were happy to bite their hand off.
Unhappy timesEPA
Mina was a slightly different case.
They signed him as defensive cover in January, barely played him for six months then he had a great World Cup and Everton came in with a €30m bid.
While the executives in Catalonia might think they have done some excellent business getting rid of players on the peripheries, it has worked just as well for Everton.
Digne has already impressed and Gomes made his Everton debut in a win against Crystal Palace yesterday.
And despite being tackled by a ghost at one point Gomes received plaudits for his assured display.
Silva is notoriously bad at organising a defence but having Mina, returning from a prolonged injury break, he has several options at the back.
Loves a goal tooReuters
After previously bringing in Gerard Deulofeu initially in loan before making him permanent, which can be seen as a success, there was the Sandro Ramirez move which everyone at Goodison would rather not talk about.
Sandro went from Barcelona to Everton via Malaga and made a total of eight league appearances before being sent out to Sevilla on loan.
Not all Barca players are going to be stars.
READ MORE FROM THE WEIRD WORLD OF DREAM TEAM:
How Mauro Icardi ignored the modern way to become Europe’s best poacher Have Chelsea fans already forgotten who their greatest manager of all time is? In terms of standard, will this weekend’s El Clasico be the worst in years? WATCH: The second part of our exclusive documentaryThe role of the humble striker is always evolving.
These days you’ve got false 9s, false 10s, target men, inverted target men, poachers, raumdeuters… well spare you the xG chat.
You’ve also got the non-scoring striker. Due to a variety of reasons, be it tactical or technical, these strikers can’t find the back of the net for love nor money. Actually, they get plenty of money.
The role is becoming something of a fixture in Premier League XIs. So who’s king of the non-scoring strikers?
The non-scoring GOAT
9 Kenneth Zohore (Cardiff)
Big Ken scored ten goals in 11 games for Cardiff between 31 January 2017 and 1 April 2017. But since then, and in spite of Cardiff’s promotion to the top flight, the goals have dried up.
The 24-year-old is yet to score in the Premier League, meaning the last time he found the back of the net was 14 April.
He’s not helped by the fact the service he receives at Cardiff makes Tiger Woods teeing off at St Andrews look subtle.
Nothing to see hereGetty Images - Getty
8 Jurgen Locadia (Brighton)
Brighton splashed out on Locadia in January after watching the Dutchman scored nine goals in 15 Eredivisie games.
He netted on his debut, an FA Cup win against Coventry, and then scored eight minutes into his first taste of Premier League football.
This goalsoring lark is easy. But after 15 games without a goal, Locadia has very much lost his place to the surprisingly prolific Glenn Murray.
‘They said the Premier League would be fun’Getty Images - Getty
7 Laurent Depoitre
The man with a pop star’s name and a builder’s frame.
Depoitre joins David Nugent in the exclusive ‘one international game, one international goal club’, having scored on his Belgium debut.
But, with no Premier League goal since 9 May, it’s unlikely he’ll be adding to his international résumé soon.
Swapping shirts earlyReuters
6 Ashley Barnes
Did you know Ashley Barnes played for Austria Under-20? Of course you did, because someone mentions it every time his name pops up in conversation.
Two goals against Bournemouth in September were a rarity for a man who hasn’t hit double figures in a league season since 2012.
Marko Arnautovic’s place up front for Austria is safe, for now.
Eat itPA:Empics Sport
5 Salomon Rondon (Newcastle)
Buying House of Fraser hours after deadline day wasn’t the only bit of trolling Mike Ashley did during the summer transfer market.
He swapped Dwight Gayle, a striker permanently too good for the Championship but not quite good enough for the Premier League, for West Brom’s Rondon.
Rondon hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since April. Top bit of work that, Mike.
At least you get 40% off at House of FraserPA:Press Association
4 Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace)
Once worth £32.5million, Palace couldn’t pay anyone to take Benteke off their hands in his current form.
The 27-year-old’s goalless streak dates back to 28 April, although you’ve got to go even further, to 30 January, to find his last strike from open play.
Alexa, show me the opposite of prolific.
Probably best to leave it in there, ChristianGetty - Contributor
3 Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
Calvert-Lewin is the type of player you assume, having seen him fleetingly on Match of the Day, is prolific.
But what if we told you he scored four goals last season, and has netted just once this campaign?
You’d call us liars. You’d be wrong.
Calvert-Lewin got off the mark against Crystal Palace after writing this. Shows what we know.
Who can shout the loudest?Reuters
2 Olivier Giroud
Making firing blanks sexy.
Giroud’s scuffed his way to a ‘French Emile Heskey’ nickname, such are his perplexing combination of woes in front of goal and effective link-up play.
Nine Premier League games and counting without a goal. At least his beard still looks good.
How big is a piece of string, Olivier?AFP or licensors
1 Shane Long (Southampton)
Imagine turning up to work for two years, clocking out each day without picking up a pen and not getting sacked for it. You’d be classed a genius.
So it is that Long leads the way when it comes to non-scoring Premier League strikers.
The Irishman scored two Premier League goals last season and hasn’t found the back of the net since April. All whilst cashing cheques. Well played, good sir.
You can be certain that shot didn’t end up in the back of the netGetty - Contributor
READ MORE FROM THE WORLD OF DREAM TEAM:
A forensic deep dive into the incredible moment Jose Mourinho was completely triggered Pep Guardiola’s all-time XI vs Jose Mourinho’s all-time XI — which team is better? Maurizio Sarri says Man United have the best team in the league and he might be right WATCH: Love of the Game – Part 2
